The password-protected service, which can be found at
http://www.google.com/health/, stores a user's basic medical
history and gathers relevant information connected to their
health conditions.

One feature includes a link to help users find doctors by
location or specialization. The "virtual pillbox" notifies
patients when they need to take medications and warns of
potential drug interactions.

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The service includes links to major U.S. pharmacies,
doctors' groups and medical testing labs.

Partners include Walgreen Co, Longs Drugs Stores Corp, CVS
Caremark Group, AllScripts, Quest Diagnostics and the Cleveland
Clinic. The company had previously said it was working with
health insurers such as Aetna Inc and Wal-Mart Stores Inc
pharmacies.

Officials at the Mountain View, California-based company
announced the long-anticipated service during a news conference
to discuss developments in the company's core search business.

"If anyone can demystify what health is, and make it fun
... Google can," Dr. Michael Roizen, the chief wellness officer
for the Cleveland Clinic, a major private U.S. medical group,
said during the news conference at Google headquarters.

Patients would control access to their records, Google
said.

Marissa Mayer, Google's vice president for search services
and user experience, said the company would store personal
health information on computers that are separate from the
company's other endeavors and had created an additional layer
of security.

"We certainly have put in place the foremost privacy policy
that we could construct," Mayer said.

The site would allow patients to schedule appointments,
refill prescriptions, receive diagnostic results online, and
instantly add their doctors' email addresses to a list
ofcontacts.

The electronic health records field remains in its early
stages. For example, while medical providers are covered by
U.S. privacy laws, there is little in the way of established
privacy, security and data usage standards for electronic
personal health records despite decades of industry effort.

Google's biggest rival, Microsoft Corp, has introduced
HealthVault, which gives users control over who sees the
information. Among start-ups active in the field is Revolution
Health, a company backed by former AOL Chairman Steve Case.

All are based on the notion that individuals should retain
control over their data.

But privacy concerns and other perceived risks of online
health records will remain until consumers become familiar with
their benefits, Andrew Rocklin, a principal in the healthcare
practice of Diamond Management & Technology Consultants, said.

When tied to exercise, dieting or other wellness programs,
such records can give consumers extraordinary insights, he
noted.